LOCH GARTEN UPDATES AND WEBCAM INFORMATION - 2021

Thanks 25Mac was just coming to post.   So he is a 2016 male from Glen Affric, fingers crossed he stays with this lovely female. 

Alan

I have seen a clear photo of the ring number but it is not mine to share, and it certainly looks clear enough as AX6. 

Some males can go for many years before they find a mate, there are a few examples around, 09(98) from Rutland was 14 years of age before he had 2 male chicks with 5N(04) at Site N, sadly he died during migration in 2012. 

Good Morning from across the pond. Auspicious to me that a prospective new pair showed up only after CRinger relayed her story of how Henry's name came about, which was new to me. Fingers crossed. The new female is beautiful.

He's back, no fish but sticky-fying

MaryGK said:

Some males can go for many years before they find a mate, there are a few examples around, 09(98) from Rutland was 14 years of age before he had 2 male chicks with 5N(04) at Site N, sadly he died during migration in 2012. 

A point very well made Mary! I am not sure we should rush the criticise the behaviour or apparent lack of experience of the female. I think we need to remember that there are a lot of females on eggs at the moment. While the female is incubating it has been shown that firstly a male reduces the supply of fish to his female - which then affords him the time to do other things - 1 of which is to try and pass his genes to as many offspring as he can, So a male may be 'programmed' to continue fishing and visit all other Osprey nests in the area and try and find an 'unguarded' female who is not sitting on eggs. He gives her a fish, mates with her and then beats a hasty retreat before her 'real mate' returns from his fishing expedition. I believe the technical term is 'sneaky ******' - but I will be polite and call them sneaky copulations.' So - I pose the question - how does the unringed female know that Blue AX6 does not have another nest elsewhere with a female sitting on eggs and if so he will disappear and leave her 'holding the baby'? The answer that we have seen many times is that delivery of 1 fish is not enough with many females before they will allow a male to mate - he has to prove his commitment to her and the nest. He needs to show that he will be a good provider of fish to her chicks. I think if he brings her another 2 or 3 fish over the next day or so and starts nest building then this should encourage her to accept his advances. So is she inexperienced or actually 'quite canny'? My money is on the latter.

He flies to the nest at 14:38 with a nice sized branch. Commitment - that's what we and the female want to see! A male inteerested only in sneaky copulations doesn't expend energy bringing besting material to a nest he may never set talon on again. Keep it up AX6! Fish and sticks should win the girl!

Someone just landed but it looks like a female with a darvic - but I'm only seeing it distantly at the mo.

He certainly is keen to prep the nest..been in and out a few times this afternoon with bedding. And Female has just returned 14.39

scylla said:

Someone just landed but it looks like a female with a darvic - but I'm only seeing it distantly at the mo.

BEWARE - this is the female twice - flying in showing no darvic, on the nest showing the twig that made me think there was one.  A cadge-up: